Support two health care bills

People in our community rely on Terrebonne General Medical Center to provide critical, life-saving services.

Phyllis PeoplesPresident and CEO,Terrebonne GeneralMedical Center

People in our community rely on Terrebonne General Medical Center to provide critical, life-saving services.We are committed to continuing to provide the highest quality of care for our residents around the clock.For the past four years, you have heard about health care cuts and balancing the state budget. After a while, many forget that those cuts translate into real challenges for our health care system.They affect services, health care jobs, insurance costs and our local economy. They negatively affect everyone — not just Medicaid patients. House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, and House Speaker Pro Tempore Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, filed House Bill 532 and House Bill 533 to help stabilize the health care delivery system in Louisiana by drawing down more federal money, which would help combat rising insurance costs and protect health care services and jobs.These two hospital-supported constitutional amendments would greatly improve the ability of Louisiana’s hospitals to generate a stable source of funding and protect other providers that are currently generating money for Medicaid, such as nursing homes and pharmacists.This legislation is a step toward solving some of the more pressing health care problems that we are facing in our state, and the best part is, it will not be passed along to patients or businesses.I strongly urge you to contact your state legislators and ask them to support HB 532 and HB 533.Terrebonne General Medical Center has been a community partner for nearly 60 years, and we want to continue contributing to the health and economy of our community.You can learn more about these bills at www.lhaonline.org/protecthealthcare.